Sixteen plant
sesquiterpene lactones, thirteen from four species of the
Family Asteraceae, and three from a species of Hepaticae, as well as
seven annonaceous acetogenins isolated from the seeds of the tropical
tree Annona cherimolia (Family Annonaceae), were evaluated for their
ability to inhibit or stimulate the production of
biofilm by a strain
of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The
tested compounds carry a .GAMMA.-lactone
moiety in their structures. This structural feature is similar to the
lactone moiety present in N-acyl homoserine lactones, compounds that
play the important role of "quorum sensors" in the mechanisms of
biofilm formation observed in many gram-negative bacteria. A special
assay was employed to evaluate the influence of the tested plant
compounds to inhibit or stimulate the production of biofilm in a P.
aeruginosa wild strain. Most of the tested compounds affected the
biofilm formation mechanism. Six sesquiterpene
lactones isolated from
Acanthospermum hispidum and one from Enydra anagallis as well as an
acetogenin from Annona cherimolia strongly inhibited (69-77%) the
biofilm formation when incorporated to a bacterial culture at a
concentration of 2.5 .MU.g/ml. However, one of the acetogenins,
squamocin, stimulated the biofilm formation even at a concentration of
0.25 .MU.g/ml. The study of substances affecting the biofilm formation
can lead to the design of new strategies to control P. aeruginosa
infections.Chem. Pharm. Bull. 55(1) 22—25 (2007) Vol. 55, No. 1
More abstracts about the Effects of Plant Lactones on the Production of Biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa